Cinnamon Rolls

This August, we had a visit from some cousins from England: Daksha Hathi and her daughters Krishna and Nirali. Jagdish (her husband) couldn’t make it, and these cinnamon buns were for him. This recipe comes from my mother, and is a combination of recipes from a James Beard cookbook and the Silver Palate cookbook.

Cinnamon Rolls
12 – 14 large rolls

DOUGH

1 cup warm milk
1 package active dry yeast
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar or white sugar
5 – 5 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1 tablespoon grated orange zest & 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

FILLING

3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Optional:
½ – 1 cup golden or dark raisins (You can also soak them in rum, juice, or water.)
½ – 1 cup chopped pecans

ICING
1 cup powdered sugar
A little milk
A little vanilla if you like

1. One day before serving [or the same day], prepare the dough: Pour the warm milk into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast and brown sugar and let stand 5 minutes. 
2. Beat in 2 cups of the flour, all the softened butter, the eggs, and the salt until blended. (Orange zest and cinnamon as well, if used.) Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
4. Place the dough in a buttered large bowl and turn to coat it with butter. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight. [Or: Cover the bowl, put it in a warm place, and let the dough rise until double in bulk.]
5. [The following day,] prepare the filling: Combine the brown sugar, the granulated sugar, the cinnamon. Set the filling aside.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch it down. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 1/3 inch thick. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough. Distribute the pecans and raisins over the dough, if you are using them. Starting at one long edge, roll up the dough as tightly as possible.
7. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch or 10 x 14-inch baking pan or cookie sheet.
8. Cut the dough into equal slices (12 – 14) and arrange the slices in the pan, leaving room for the rolls to rise. Cover and let rise until doubled, 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on whether you refrigerated the dough).
9. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the rolls for 25 – 30 minutes, until they are nicely browned. Let cool 10 minutes.
10. Mix the powdered sugar with enough milk [and vanilla] to make a thick paste and spread on top of the warm rolls.